2nd Annual Palm Springs Women in Film & Television + Stage 32 Short Script Competition

THE FINALISTS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED!

SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW THE FINALISTS!

Grand Prize Winner Receives Your Short Screenplay PRODUCED for a GUARANTEED budget of $10,000!

Great short films captivate audiences with concise storytelling, compelling characters, and emotional resonance in a brief yet impactful narrative. Getting your short script produced is the quickest way into the industry. Many famous writer/directors have started with short films like Damien Chazelle with WHIPLASH, Wes Anderson with BOTTLE ROCKET, Taika Waititi with TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT, Christopher Nolan with DOODLEBUG, Jane Campion with PEEL, and Martin Scorsese with THE BIG SHAVE. The list goes on... and with this competition, we hope the same success for you.

That is why our Grand Prize is your Short Screenplay PRODUCED for a GUARANTEED budget of $10,000!

In honor of screenwriters everywhere, Palm Springs Women in Film & Television (PSWIFT) has partnered with Stage 32 to launch our one-of-a-kind Short Script Competition open to filmmakers from all countries from around the world.

The winning script will be produced by PSWIFT’s “Filmmakers Lab” (https://www.filmmakerslab.org/) for a guaranteed budget of $10,000. The Filmmakers Lab has produced four short films, three are award-winning and the fourth is in post production, and a season of a variety talk show, “PS After Dark” starring Tristan Rogers. The members of the Lab will judge the projects and the winner will be announced August 16th. The Project will be produced in the Fall of 2024.

Our Grand Prize Winner will:

• Have your short screenplay produced by Palm Springs Women in Film & Television for a guaranteed budget of $10,000!
• Have your completed project screened alongside the Stage 32 Short Film Program at our partner festival Hollyshorts, the California Independent Film Festival and the Garden State Film Festival!
• Have your completed project streamed on Roku's ZPTV
• Receive a free membership to the Stage 32 Writers’ Room, a private, virtual community of writers from around the world the meet and learn from industry professionals like Meg LeFauve (INSIDE OUT, CAPTAIN MARVEL) and Aimee Riviera, VP of Motion Picture Production at Skydance Media (TOP GUN: MAVERICK), Tripper Clancy (STUBER) and managers & agents from WME, CAA, Gersh, Circle of Confusion, Zero Gravity & more!
• Free access to Stage 32’s educational webinar library, which includes over 2,000 hours of content featuring top industry professionals

All 15 Finalists will:

• Receive an exclusive, one page of written coverage from one of Stage 32's professional industry readers.
• Get a free one month membership to the Stage 32 Writers’ Room,a private, virtual community of writers from around the world the meet and learn from industry professionals like Meg LeFauve (INSIDE OUT, CAPTAIN MARVEL) and Aimee Riviera, VP of Motion Picture Production at Skydance Media (TOP GUN: MAVERICK), Tripper Clancy (STUBER) and managers & agents from WME, CAA, Gersh, Circle of Confusion, Zero Gravity & more!

About Palm Springs Women in Film & Television

Palm Springs Women in Film & Television (PSWIFT) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 2001, dedicated to empowering, promoting, educating and nurturing its members – both women and men – involved in the entertainment, communication and media industries. PSWIFT is also focused on educating, inspiring and bringing in more production work to the Coachella Valley.

Congratulations to the Finalists

Congratulations to the Semifinalists

Congratulations to the Quarterfinalists

Rules & Requirements

Please make sure that your entry adheres to the following requirements:

• Short Scripts should be within 2 - 15 pages.
• All scripts must be written in English.
• Story location must be conducive to the Palm Springs Area.
• We welcome submissions from screenwriters and filmmakers from all countries around the world.
• Material submitted must be written and owned by the person submitting.
• There is no age limit. All ages can enter.
• There is no limit on the number of scripts a writer may submit. You are allowed to submit as many entries as you like with a respective fee for each entry.
• Palm Springs Women in Film & Television claims no ownership of your work. All ownership and rights to the scripts submitted to this competition remain with the original rights of the person(s) that submitted.
• Palm Springs Women in Film & Television will act as a Production Company for a Short Film project. Therefore Palm Springs Women in Film & Television will have the final call on funding, cast, crew, and edit of the Short Film.
• All decisions of Palm Springs Women in Film & Television are final. By applying to this competition each participant agrees to hold Palm Springs Women in Film & Television our judges and sponsors immune from any competition disputes, claims, liabilities, and expenses

If you have any questions regarding this contest, check out frequently asked questions here or email contests@stage32.com.

Update on last year's winner, Patricia Semler (EXIT INTERVIEW)

EXIT INTERVIEW by Pat Semler, our winning script from last year, is coming out in Spring 2024, directed by Kate Spates and Carolyn Moloshco!

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